The present disclosure generally relates to treatment fluids for reducing subterranean formation damage, and, more specifically, to treatment fluids capable of reducing subterranean formation damage by altering the wettability of a formation while simultaneously complexing metal ions therein.
Treatment fluids may be used in a variety of subterranean treatment operations. Such treatment operations may include, without limitation, drilling operations, completion operations, stimulation operations, production operations, remediation operations, sand control operations, and the like. As used herein, the term “treatment,” and all of its grammatical variants (e.g., “treat,” “treating,” and the like), refers to any subterranean formation operation that employs a fluid in conjunction with achieving a desired function and/or for a desired purpose. Use of these terms does not imply any particular action by the treatment fluid or a component therein, unless otherwise specified herein. More specific examples of illustrative treatment operations may include, but are not limited to, hydraulic fracturing operations, gravel packing operations, acidizing operations, scale dissolution and removal operations, consolidation operations, and the like.
During treatment operations, the subterranean formation being treated may experience formation damage. As used herein, the terms “formation damage” or “damage,” and all of their grammatical variants, refer to a reduction in the permeability of the formation in the near wellbore region. Because formation damage may occur during various treatment operations, such damage may accordingly arise at various stages of the lifecycle of the formation. However, damage during drilling operations where a drill bit abrades the formation to form a wellbore therein may be particularly pronounced. Formation damage during drilling may be caused by a number of mechanisms including, for example, saturating the formation in the near wellbore region with fluids (e.g., aqueous fluids) from drilling fluids due to fluid loss, altering the wettability of the formation to oil-wet due to interactions with drilling fluid additives such that the formation preferentially imbibes oil, blocking the pore throats of the formation with solids or other precipitated compounds (e.g., metal ions) from drilling fluids and/or the formation, and the like.
During production of a wellbore in a subterranean formation (e.g., hydrocarbon production), formation damage may be particularly undesirable as the highest pressure drops during production occur at the damaged near wellbore region. The damage causes a positive skin factor, or increased flow resistance, in the near wellbore region, which may reduce the productivity index of the wellbore (i.e., the ability of a reservoir in the formation to deliver fluids to the wellbore). Such a reduction in the productivity index may translate directly into economic costs for a wellbore operator, in terms of reduced fluid recovery (e.g., hydrocarbons), costly remedial operations such as expensive well stimulations, increased operator work time associated with remedial operations, and the like.